The recovery bag

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Coping Strategies
Part 9 - The recovery bag

When you leave your home and go out into the world, do you take a bag with you? If you do, what do you put in this bag? Does your bag contain any items that might come to your aid – if and when you need them?

The notion of carrying a “recovery bag” around with you is to help keep you safe and to help you de-stress when a situation arises, with or without warning.

We are now going to hand you over to Karen, who is going to unpack the items in her bag for you and give a rationale for carrying each of them.

Coping strategy case study: the worrier’s recovery bag

“Hi, my name is Karen. I am 45 years old and I have been consciously carrying things in my recovery bag for around 10 years now.
“I get bored very easily – like really, really bored – so now I always take a book with me when I go out, along with a couple of pages of puzzles, a pen and a small note pad, in case I have an idea that I will forget if I don’t write it down at once, or in case I want to doodle or draw something.
“A bottle of water is a must for me, as is a snack bar for some energy and an emergency chocolate, in case I’m ever feeling low and need a bit of comfort. Sometimes, instead of chocolate, I will pack a hand cream that I can use to soothe myself if I need a bit of TLC.
“I also carry a phone and a charger with me at all times, a small amount of loose change, my keys, an asthma inhaler, a photo of my daughters, a small make-up bag, a packet of tissues; and a stress ball.
“As I’m a big worrier, I like to have access to music, 24/7. As long as there is music, there is always a chance I can get myself to calm down.
“You may think that all of this weighs a ton, but it is surprisingly compact and light – or maybe I’m just used to it now. My final item is my worry doll. It is hand-made, from Guatemala. It stays with me at all times (I have 10 of them, just in case I lose one). At night, I put her under my pillow and she takes my worries away. During the day, I pick her up from time to time and hold her in my hand and silently tell her my anxieties. She’s great.”

My recovery bag

If you were to design your own recovery bag, what would you put in it?

Letting go

[Based on a short story by Susan Clegg]
Margaret always carried a bag around with her. The bag was very important because it had been handed down to her by her mother, who in turn had been bought the bag by her own mother. The contents of the bag were also very important to Margaret. She had some very special mementos of her life in this bag.

One day as Margaret was walking along a street she heard a noise right behind her, and as she turned around with a start, her bag was expertly snatched from her by a woman – who was running down the street with the bag under her arm.

“No!” Margaret shouts. “You can’t take that! That is my bag!”

Margaret gave chase. She ran and ran after her bag as though her life depended on it. As she ran she gained more and more speed. As she ran she shouted louder and louder, “Give me back my bag! It’s a very important bag!”

The thief, whose name was Jemma, looked behind her and saw the determination on Margaret’s face. Jemma was struck at that moment by how ugly and twisted Margaret’s face was. She was thinking it was a horrible face for anyone to have to make. She pitied Margaret, and even though she could’ve easily out-run Margaret, she decided she didn’t want the bag anymore – and she certainly didn’t want anything more to do with Margaret. So Jemma threw the bag high into the air and crossed to the other side of the road and around the corner.

Margaret watched as the bag sailed up in the air. Margaret was so close she could have easily caught it, but she didn’t. Instead, she let the bag crash-land on the floor. She then jumped over the bag, crossed the road and turned the corner.

Jemma, who was now strolling away from the scene of her crime, was in disbelief when she saw Margaret come racing up behind her, without her precious bag. Margaret’s face now looked completely different. Tears were streaming down her face and she was laughing at the same time. It was like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. “Thank you,” Margaret said as she ran past Jemma. “Thank you so much.”
Q: What is your immediate reaction to this story?

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